With New Years right around the corner, we are all gearing up to make ambitious resolutions to ourselves to lose weight, spend more time with our families, make better business connections, or simply relax.  But, in order to change our existing lives, we need to plan how to motivate ourselves to change. 

Change for anyone can be difficult.  I don’t care if you are hoping to drink less coffee or overhauling your career, any change is difficult.  So how can we motivate ourselves to change?  Or, more importantly, how can we MAINTAIN our changes?

Accountability and Small Steps are two of the best ways to keep our own promises to ourselves. 

If you have a partner in your promise who is there to help you keep your resolutions you’ll be more likely to keep them.  If you are hoping to lose weight, for example, get a running buddy, a workout partner, or a personal trainer with whom you have regularly scheduled appointments.  If you are going to meet with someone then you’ll be more likely to go. 

If you don’t have a partner or if your resolution is a solitary goal, have someone who is there to support you.  Confide in a friend, partner, husband, wife, or anyone who can help you stay on track to achieve your goal. 

Which brings me to the next suggestion:  Small Steps.  Set small, realistic goals for yourself and share these with someone who can help you stay on track.  Don’t plan on writing a novel in a week, write one page every day and give them to your friend at the end of the week. 

And WRITE THESE STEPS DOWN.  Write down your goals and a list of steps you’ll take to get there. As trivial as this may sound it is the key part of keeping promises to yourself.  You can cross out these steps as you accomplish them and reward yourself with the feeling of achieving each one.  It also forces you to clarify your goals to yourself and the world around you. 

Post these lists somewhere you will see it every day.  Not only will this list of steps remind you to work on your goals, it also makes you feel guilty should you neglect your resolution. 

Most people abandon their resolutions within weeks or even days of New Years.  Make a resolution to yourself to keep your promises this year.  Find support in loved ones and achieve those dreams, no matter how great or small.